Painter's Pants? - YouLookFab Forum

Category

Shopping

Welcome! Read about what to wear and how to wear it on the YLF Blog. Join the YLF Forum to ask specific questions or just chat about fashion and personal style. Or check out the curated list of things we love in YLF Finds.

Outfits Ensembles Trends Advice

Painter's Pants?

Anonymous

Does anyone remember the painter's pants we used to wear back in the late 70s/early 80s? I'm looking for cropped jeans in that colour--a sort of natural white. I no longer want the painter-type details (the brush loops and paint splatters need to stay a memory, at least for me!), but I loved the fabric and slightly baggier style. Has anyone come across jeans in this fabric? I'm really hoping that natural, unbleached colour makes a comeback.

Or maybe it already did, and I missed it!

Shopping

15 replies

Latest reply was from Janet

Murph11

Veteran

Not cropped, but these Lands End jeans may work with hemming.

Women's Mid Rise Straight Leg Jeans

View Info

Top Pick

2

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I had a pair of those things in junior high and I LOVED them. Then I developed hips. :-/

Try looking for color names like "stone" or "natural." If I come across something I'll post them for you.

ETA: Is the color something like this? Not the right style probably, but the color seems close to what I remember...

This post has 1 photo. Photos uploaded by this member are only visible to other logged in members.

If you aren't a member, but would like to participate, please consider signing up. It only takes a minute and we'd love to have you.

viva

Veteran

Omg. Loved them, and love the idea of a modern version of them! Please keep us posted about what you find. I will jump right on this train with you!!!!!

ETA: oops, I'd actually like the loops and pockets! But not paint splatters - I never actually had those on mine. Wasn't the material like drop cloth? Almost like a tough muslin color?

viva

Veteran

I've been looking for army pants lately too, also a throwback item for me. Not the skinny cargoes of today, but a truer to realistic straight-cut fatigue. We used to buy these and the painters pants (or carpenter pants) right from the army navy store. They were fashionable, authentic, and cheap. Life was so much simpler then.

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

BR had some BF jeans in a soft natural white cotton a few years ago - I have a pair and I believe Angie does as well - so they have been out there again. Not sure if there are any current versions available.

Mine are a bit big (should have sized down) so I don't wear them often.

Anonymous

Murph and Janet, thank you -- that colour does look like what I'm looking for. Good idea Janet on searching for 'stone' or 'natural.' And I hear you on the hips! I'm hoping my old lady bum works to my advantage if these ever come back in.

Viva i remember those fatigues. Sigh. And shopping at the army-navy store. I was sad that the store I used to shop at so many years ago (in Boulder, CO) closed last year.

I found exactly what I want last year in end of season sales, I think at BR. Sadly they were a size too small and seemed to be the only ones left in the entire company. A search this am brought up this pair, but $465 painters pants are a bit outside my budget. http://www.neimanmarcus.com/MM.....ProductAds

Anonymous

Texstyle, I bet those are exactly the ones I saw, too late alas!

Anonymous

I live in loose fit cargo/army pants spring-fall. Painter pants were never a thing that I remember but army pants, yes. Some things just get even better with time

JAileen

Veteran

I loved painter's pants. I wore mine with plaid flannel shirts. We're in the middle of a remodel, and the sheetrock guy arrived wearing ... painters pants! I wonder where they get them?

LaPed

Veteran

If you want the pockets and loops, Dickie's makes actual painters pants:

http://www.dickies.com/pants/p.....NT#start=2

The men's come in natural, if you can do men's sizing. The women's are only available in bright white:

http://www.dickies.com/pants/w.....P820_color...

Anonymous

I wore them back in the '70s.

kkards

Veteran

oh...painters pants and army pants......having high school flashbacks!
I haven't found any painter pants, but i did get this pair of army pants at the end of last summer--they are Current/Elliot. they're actually softer than the army pants that I remember from "back in the day". I also tried the Uniqlo, but i didn't love them.

View Info

Women Cotton Relaxed Pants

View Info

Top Pick

1

El Cee

Veteran

Oh memories! White painters pants were part of my college uniform. I loved them. You are absolutely right that it was something about the fabrication (cotton with no spandex) and the color (unbleached natural white/cream) that made them so wonderful. I, like you, would love to find something like this in a comfy modern cut (like a girlfriend jean). Bought a pair of slim boyfriends from JCPenney at the end of summer that sort of fills this void… but it is more of a stone color than a natural white. Still searching for a more perfect color match.

Liz Claiborne City-Fit Skinny Boyfriend Jeans - Tall

View Info

Top Pick

1

Freckles

Veteran

Painter's pants and overalls were such a staple during teenage years! We never wore the natural coloured ones up here, mostly engineer striped and different denims. Good luck finding some you like.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Freckles, you just reminded me, I had an engineer stripe pair in college and I loved those things! Oh to be young and (relatively) thin again.